2.20 "Look Who's Stalking"
Aired Apr 25, 2006
Roundtable Reviews
funky-donut: Dude, I was NOT crying at the end of the episode. I just had a little something in my eye, okay?!
Awesome awesome awesome episode.
misskiwi: Good stuff. Not quite as good as last week or the week before, but definitely a solid episode. There were a few moments of head scratching that are either plot points to come or writer wank to get the plot where it needs to be.
Polter-Cow: DUDE DUDE DUDE FUCKING SHELLY POMROY IN THE HALLWAY RIGHT BEHIND VERONICA IN THE GREEN HER HAIR IS LONGER LOOK HOW CUTE SHE IS HI SHELLYYYYYYYYYY.
Inigo: I don't think that was her.
Polter-Cow: Oh, right, there was an episode and stuff. It was good, though I was expecting more shocking answers rather than more...puzzling questions.
topanga: This episode rocked like Fred Flintstone. And I like the fact that I'm still in the dark about the bus crash, Polter-Cow. It's keeping me on the edge of my seat. And the Fitzpatricks — they're the P. Diddys of Neptune. They're in everyone's video. I can't wait to find out how much they were involved with everything that's ever gone wrong in Neptune.
wilecoyote: Hrm...I can't say I'm as enthusiastic about this episode as about the last 3 or 4 ones. Perhaps it was because I was still reeling off the WTF!? regarding the chlamydia, or because the MotW centered around Lucky, a character that I can't stand...but more on this later.
fickledame: What a fantastic episode! I agree as a whole, it wasn't as good as the last few, but certain scenes made this episode very powerful. My heart is still lying bleeding on the floor.
wilecoyote: Let's get it out: I can't stand Lucky. It's not just that the character looks flat-faced and vaguely creepy; that's how he is supposed to be, after all. The problem is that Lucky's appearance highlights all the flaws in this season: the wonky pacing (he hasn't been mentioned until episode 18 and suddenly he is a key to the season mystery?), the retconning of Meg (I always had a problem with the idea of Meg's parents trying to hook her up with such an obvious loser just because "he is religious")... and now that the show had hit a good stride, they had to remind us of all that again. Aaargh!! *stab* *stab* *stab*
Inigo: I think it is impossible to make judgements (and yes, I do spell it with an E) on the season untill one sees the whole thing. Last season, we didn't know that Aaron's violence extended outside the family until "Hot Dogs" or the cameras in the poolhouse until "A Trip to the Dentist." So if Lucky is the key to the season mystery, then it is hardly unusual for this show to introduce him recently. As for Meg, we still don't know the whole story so how can we possibly call anything a retcon. Certainly, everything we have seen of her parents suggests that their putting religious adherence above pretty much anything in terms of desirable qualities is not out of character for them.
misskiwi: I agree that late developments like the cameras last season aren't unusual. My problem with the hypothetical of Lucky being key is that Aaron was named in the pilot and appeared as early as "Return of the Kane", like that old addage about the gun in the first act being used in the third act, or whatever. To me, it's not fair play if you couldn't theoretically solve the mystery after the first few episodes. Really, all you needed to know to solve Lilly's murder was seeing her personality — her loving guys, her tendency to strike out against her parents — and knowing that Aaron was a bit of a sleaze who might chase a bit of high school tail. Arguably, we had that information as early as "An Echolls Family Christmas". Now, if Lucky turns out to have been the guy who was always with Meg while she was babysitting — of which theory I am extremely skeptical — then I suppose it's a similar pattern, but I still cry foul if he's behind the bus crash. If he leads us to the culprit, however, I'm less annoyed since he's just acting as a catalyst towards the final resolution in the same manner as the discovery of the pool house cameras last year.
wilecoyote: Also, I didn't buy for a moment the fakeout with Lucky scaring the girls in the journalism room; it looked like a contrivance to put them in danger from the beginning.
misskiwi: What makes you think it was a fakeout? Who says he wasn't prepared to kill Gia to teach Woody a lesson? I thought the threat there was real — he was, after all, stalking Gia.
wilecoyote: I don't know very well how to explain it. I just never felt any sensation of "real" danger, and the whole number that Lucky made with the knife... it was so obviously one of those horror movie fakeouts.
misskiwi: The one thing that rubbed me the wrong way with Lucky is that two episodes ago, Veronica had to ask Logan who this night janitor named Lucky was, and now they greet each other by name in the hallway. I mean, clearly, that was just so the viewers would know that the guy Veronica passed in the hallway was Lucky, but it doesn't make sense to me. Maybe he always knew who she was and she just didn't remember him before, but it still felt forced.
wilecoyote: Nah, no maybes. It was just another of those things that made no sense (*stab* stab*).
Inigo: She didn't ask Logan who he was, she asked Logan if he knew him. As with Rebecca, she was asking for more information, not suggest that she had no idea who he was. All Veronica forgot is that she had met Lucky with Logan when, frankly, she had far more interesting things to be doing.
misskiwi: Hm. You know, I'd never thought about that, but you're right — while I still think it's coming out of the blue, none of Veronica's inquiries into Lucky suggest she didn't know him, even if all she knew was that his name was Lucky and that he was a night janitor. You know what would have been awesome? If he'd played a small role in a MotW early in the season.
wilecoyote: Also: the "senior trip" where those alcohol-related violations took place, is the one where they went to Magic Mountain, right? Well, I understand the show's budget limitations, but still, it would have been nice to actually see something of the trip. And now that I think of it: a Disneyworld-themed episode? With support and perhaps synergistic cross-promotion with Disney? Hell, why not?
misskiwi: You're not a happy camper this week, are you? At this point in the season, I'm okay with some of that stuff happening offscreen. Plus I'd rather they saved their money to afford to continually bring back characters like Mac, Madison, Lamb, and Corny.
Inigo: Ditto. And what's to see? They went to Magic Mountain, some of them got drunk.
wilecoyote: Oh, come on, don't tell me you wouldn't have liked to see Veronica and Wallace in Disneyland...
Inigo: Hey, I'd be happy watching Logan clip his toenails but that's probably just me...
wilecoyote: There were many of those random character moments that make this show (and all good shows in general) so rich, even when the main storyline is so-so. For example, Mac's murderous glance towards Veronica at the party, when Veronica gave her the thumbs-up (it was just one second, blink and you'll miss it, but OMG SO FUNNY).
And on this note, I'd also like to mention Butters' space elevator line. John Enbom just hit the perfect note on that one: it was exactly the kind of dorky thing that someone like Butters would say in that situation. In fact, I am now remembering myself saying similarly dorky things during high school... (goes to hide under the bed).
grim squeaker: No need to hide, wile. I know so many guys who would have said exactly the same thing, and who are so much like Butters, it's not even funny. Embarrassing Dorkiness is indeed an international character trait.
misskiwi: I love John Embom's writing; it's a treat. So many hilarious zingers, and the delivery by these talented actors is just the icing on the cake.
grim squeaker: Concerning Mac, I also loved her unison "Thank God!!" with Madison. They really do have similarities, only that Mac universally seems to have better taste. And let me add here that all of the ladies, from Kristen Bell to Tessa Thompson, but especially Tina Majorino and Amanda Noret, looked extremely pretty in their prom dresses.
misskiwi: The Mac moment that made me laugh out loud was "Yes! Prayer works!" I love Tina Majorino.
Inigo: I thought KB was having a lot of fun with the comedy. Watching her giving Madison a hard time was a joy to behold.
fickledame: The sarcastic sense of humour from Veronica with Gia not getting it whatsoever was excellent. I loved Mac and Madison saying thank God together too — a nice shoutout to their beginnings. The scene in the lift was excellent, and when Corny gives a what-the-hell look, you know you're crazy.
misskiwi: I agree, fickledame — I love how Veronica's sarcastic sense of humor flies over Gia's head at, like, escape velocity. It was hilarious watching Gia's confusion.
Speaking of confusion: what's with Veronica having chlamydia? I...am totally lost.
persnicketier: I know, what the heck?
wyk: There was some question if the boy that was all over Meg when she was babysitting the Fullers was really Duncan. If that boy wasn't Duncan, then it could be that the mystery boy gave it to Meg, who gave it to Duncan, who gave it to Veronica.
BepperGirl: And that boy could be Lucky. Hm.
misskiwi: I agree with wyk: the likely source of the VD was Meg to Duncan, and I peg Lucky. I had forgotten about Meg's babysitting escapades, though. But Meg thought Lucky was creepy, so I'm not sure he'd be coming over while she was babysitting, unless he was uninvited. I don't really buy Meg sleeping with Lucky of her own volition, so...maybe I don't peg Lucky. Damn this show and its endless questions!
Oh, and why was Veronica at the doctor's in the first place if she didn't have any symptoms, as I seem to remember her claiming? If it was just a regular checkup, I'm pretty sure they don't routinely test for the clap, and then Keith wouldn't ask her what the doctor said. So I'm still lost.
topanga: Yeah, that was weird. Maybe she went for her routine pelvic exam with her gynecologist (she might have just said "doctor" to Keith). Some of them routinely check teenagers for STDs if they're sexually active. Or have ever had sex.
What will be the resolution of that storyline? It's bugging me.
Remember last season when Logan said Veronica could take penicillin to clear up her condition? The boy must be prophetic. I wonder what kind of diseases he carries. Yuck.
misskiwi: But Keith's "What did the doctor say?" implies that she went to the doctor for a reason, as does the fact that they tested for chlamydia at all. But then she told the doctor that she didn't have any symptoms. The only thing I can wank is that she had non-STD symptoms that can be caused by chlamydia, so when she said she had "no symptoms" she meant, like, no itching or burning or anything like that.
funky-donut: I was wondering that myself, misskiwi. I'm wondering if she wasn't have some other symptoms, like a sore throat or something, and the doctor just tested for everything? I don't know, I can't really wank it to make sense.
Maybe she was having her first gyno-pap? But then why would Keith be asking...I give up.
Inigo: I assumed it was a physical for college, nothing more. That was all that made sense to me with her response about Keith getting his money's worth and what she told Logan.
persnicketier: Except they don't test you for STDs unless you want them to. And only at an OBG-YN, not a regular PCP. And Veronica didn't seem to think there was any reason to be tested.
Inigo: Ah, but in TV land, checkups always reveal any underlying convenient disease.
persnicketier: Quite true. But I thought VM was better than that...
Inigo: Well, to be fair, it could have been more thorough than a general check-up. I can't believe it's something that is only found when searched for.
funky-donut: I actually thought they might be insinuating that Duncan and Kendall did do the deed. In the episode in my head, Veronica was going to have to say, "but Logan, I can't have sex with you right now because I have chlamydia." And then Logan would say, "oh, crap, I have it too. I got it from Kendall." Then, over Veronica's head: *lightbulb*
misskiwi: I almost wonder if the whole thing isn't just writer wank to get Veronica to the lightbulb moment of whoever else Meg was having sex with. In which case, it's stupid. But Veronica saying she had no symptoms and Keith inquiring about it don't make any sense.
chris1010: I'm guessing it tracks back VM->DK->MEG-> Club of molested children of Neptune? A.K.A the Woody Club.
grim squeaker: But that doesn't really work. Doctors get extremely suspicious if they have very young patients with STDs, for understandable reasons. Besides, how should Meg have contracted chlamydia from them? I doubt she was a pedophile.
misskiwi: I think chris is suggesting that Meg was molested by her father, or Woody, and he gave her chlamydia.
grim squeaker: Ah. Yuck. And you found it bad that I suggested it could have been Dick?
misskiwi: That says a lot about Dick, no?
topanga: Most OB/Gyns test teenagers for STDs at their routine pelvic exams. I imagine that Veronica doesn't go to the doctor much, so any mention of it would prompt a "How was the doctor?" line of questioning from Keith.
Inigo: There is one other possibility, of course. We've known since the first episode of the season that test results can be faked. If someone was looking to get Veronica to contact Duncan, this may be a way of doing it.
topanga: Speaking of Keith, I didn't think I could like their father-daughter relationship even more, but this episode made me a liar. I loved Keith's "I don't believe you," line and his "Honey, go enjoy your dance." Oh, and the scene where Keith tells Veronica he'll help her "Unless it's Physics. Or Chemistry...P.E. I was good at P.E."). Maybe it's just Rico. He rocks.
I still think the mis-trust issue is out there, but it hasn't made Keith love Veronica any less. And he's always there for her on the double whenever she's in trouble. Just like the Blood Hound gang. (You guys are too young for 3-2-1 Contact. Never mind.)
Oh, and I loved when Keith said Cliff won't stop talking about the hooker who stole his briefcase and his heart. I wonder if Karl drew the police sketch.
Can you tell Keith was my favorite character from last night's episode? He had a hand in almost everything.
funky-donut: topanga, I totally agree with you about Keith. He had some fantastic moments last night. I loved the bit about Cliff and the hooker, too.
I also loved Veronica's line delivery on tawdry. It was almost Cliff-esque!
Inigo: I really liked the way he knew something was up with Veronica the morning after the prom, the concern in his face but giving her the room to deal with whatever it was. He is such a dream dad.
misskiwi: I totally agree about Rico. He had some great lines this episode, and I loved his trading barbs with Lamb.
Out of respect for topanga and her Wallace/Percy stalker tendencies crush, let's skip the Wallace and Jackie bowm-chicka-bowm-bowm and move on to Logan and Veronica. While Jason and Kristen rocked that scene at the party, I was kind of disappointed in the resolution. VM is usually a cut above the usual predictable clichés on TV, but as soon as Veronica showed up at Logan's door it was obvious that Logan would either have a girl there, not remember a thing, or both. And when, in real life, do you blurt out something like the fact that you might kinda want to think about getting back together with your ex when they're trying to interrupt you and say something? Silly Veronica: if you "just need to get this out" and the person you're confessing to is trying to interrupt you, they have something to say that would prevent you from blurting out what you're about to. It's a TV staple, which is why I'm sad to see on this show that usually takes me by surprise at every turn.
Inigo: But at some levels, everything's a cliché. The question is how it's done and whilst I wasn't surprised that Logan forgot or that Kendall was there, it didn't matter. It was the emotion of the scene that sold it. And yes, Veronica would have been more wise not to blurt it out but we'd already seen her hesitency at the door. She had probably tossed and turned most of the night, based on the brief scene at home before she got there. This was something she had to get out or she was going to run. She knew that of herself so she barreled on through. People do that all the time. We wouldn't have the word "blurt" otherwise.
topanga: I guess it's all about perspective, misskiwi. I was genuinely surprised and hurt by the outcome of the Logan/Veronica situation. At the same time, I was one of the few fans who wasn't surprised that Wallace still had feelings for Jackie. What upsets me is that I'd really come to like Logan this season, but one itty-bitty scene in last night's episode turned him into the selfish jerk he was all last season.
wilecoyote: I've got to say, I didn't expect Kendall's appearance at all. Perhaps I should watch more TV? What did surprise me, however, was the intensity of Veronica's reaction...but then again, I'm one of those heathens who never bought the Veronica/Logan connection at all.
misskiwi: Oh, I love the situation and Veronica's reaction. I just felt that the "No, let me tell you this embarassing and potentially heart-wrenching thing before you give me a reason not to" was unrealistic. I think it would have been just as effective if Veronica had said her piece about needing time to think over what he said and then Logan had told her that he didn't remember what he said. He would have asked what it was, she would have refused to tell him, he would have gotten an inkling what he might have said or done, Kendall could have interrupted, and let the angst spring forth. Not that I've written this alternate scene in my head or anything. Shut up.
grim squeaker: Is all that ice around here really hell freezing over? Because I can't believe I'm actually defending Logan. Oh, dear, it must be opposite day...next thing you know, I'll be bashing Beaver and swooning over Dick. (But seriously, I've liked Logan quite a lot over the last five or six eps, which is a definite step up from the faint annoyance I felt about him earlier this season.)
Back to the plot and the defending, well, Logan was drunk. We know he is messed up, and he was probably mopey about Veronica leaving, not knowing that she probably simply didn't want to kiss him because of the chlamydia. The fact that he called Kendall instead of hooking up with some random 09er girl tells me that this is more about him being all self-destructive than about him wanting to get back at Veronica. Come to think of it, I'd actually love to see the scene where Veronica tells him that his playmate is really quite the devious and possibly murderous con artist.
misskiwi: I really don't think Logan would care if Kendall got flattened by a semi. I've never seen any evidence that he has feelings for her beyond "Thanks for the good lay."
grim squeaker: Oh, I never meant to imply that Logan really has feelings for Kendall, or anything. I think he was disappointed and hurt and pissed, and that's why he called the first person he knew who could "distract" him. But this wasn't about "getting back at Veronica," or anything, thus I wouldn't call him a jerk because of it. His behaviour with Hannah was jerky. This? Was just kind of brainless.
Inigo: If he called her. We don't know how Kendall came to be there.
fickledame: The last scene was so completely amazing for me. I knew it was coming, (damn spoilers) but it still hurt like hell. The acting from Kristen and Jason was phenomenal and the glances away from each other spoke so many more volumes than the words. Veronica's expression when she can't look him in the eye in the lift, but then just stares at him in devastation hurt a lot. Perhaps the ending was a cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason — it works. I love the angst and I can't wait to see what the next two episodes have in store for my favourite couple.
wilecoyote: Okay, so the moment Keith appeared at the motel room to find Woody asking him for *ahem* that kind of favor, it was obvious that he was setting Keith up. The question is: why? Of all the stuff that Keith knows about Woody, which one made him panic to the point of a (implicit) blackmail attempt?
misskiwi: Really, you think that whole thing was an intentional set up of Keith by Woody? It certainly wasn't a very effective one, and had the added effect of sinking Woody's precious incorporation initiative.
Inigo: Yes, I don't buy that this was a set up of Keith at all. I believe it was a set up of Woody and it did what it was designed to do. It derailed incorporation. I believe Keith has exactly the same idea from the way he processed the newspaper headlines and his response on hearing that Jennifer Stansfield had disappeared from the hospital.
misskiwi: I'm not sure it was a setup at all. It seemed to me like Woody having a really bad day. We know that the hotel has security cameras since they were used as evidence in "One Angry Veronica", so nothing is screaming "setup" to me from this scenario.
Inigo: Keith isn't going to let this drop and deeply distrusts Woody, but I think he realises that there are larger forces at play. It's one of the reason he warned Veronica off Gia's case.
For all the good it did and will do.